02 February 2004	Monday	10 Zilhaj 1424

WANA, Feb 1: The Afghanistan government has restored incentives for tribesmen living along both sides of its border with Pakistan. These incentives were withdrawn following the Soviet invasion in the late 70s.

Troops of the Zahir Shah militia are reported to have distributed over 5.6 million Afghanis as salaries among tribesmen living in the border areas on both sides of the South Waziristan Agency.

Sources in Angoor Adda, a border town on Pakistani side of the border, said that a man identified as Safi Khan of the Kharoti tribe in Afghanistan Birmal Shakeen area of Afghanistan, distributed the amount among 1,500 tribesmen in areas, including Margha in the agency.

The money was distributed among the Ahmadzai Wazir, Utmanzai Wazir, Kharoti and Saifali tribes, the sources said. Sources further said that people belonging to Ahmadzai Wazir tribe received 2.4 million Afghanis, Utmanzai Wazir and Saifali tribes 1.6 million Afghanis each and the Kharoti tribe received 1.6 million Afghanis.

Secretary (security) of the Governor's Fata secretariat Brig Mehmood Shah on Saturday told this correspondent that intelligence reports suggested that activity had been initiated by the Afghan government in the tribal areas along the common border between the two countries. "We have taken precautionary measures in this regard", Mehmood Shah said.

It was learnt that the people of the Mahsud tribe living in the Makeen and Ladha areas in the South Waziristan Agency had also received money from the Afghan government.

The local political administration has also taken exception to the distribution of salary by the Afghan militia among the tribesmen of the South Waziristan Agency.